Alleged gun smuggler nabbed in Washington state as he tried to cross into B.C.

Canadian officers say many illegal firearms are sold to gangsters north of the border for huge markups

Handguns purchased illegally in the U.S. and smuggled across the border are often sold north of the border at markups of 400 to 500 per cent, Canadian police say.

Photograph by: Bullit Marquez
, AP

A Metro Vancouver man is facing gun smuggling charges in Washington state after being arrested last week with four firearms hidden in his vehicle as he tried to re-enter Canada.

U.S. agents were watching Daniel James Walker on July 23 after he crossed into Washington at Sumas and visited two stores, purchasing all four guns with Washington identification that listed a fake in-state address.

A criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court said Walker admitted to U.S. agents that he had also purchased 10 other handguns between June 15 and July 17 and resold them in B.C. after obliterating the serial numbers.

B.C. police have long said that many of the illegal firearms that end up in gangsters’ hands are smuggled from the U.S. into Canada and sold for big profits.

“It is something that happens,” Sgt. Lindsey Houghton of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit said Monday. “And we know that those guns are sold at a significant mark-up here — sometimes 400- or 500-per-cent markups — and they are sold to people in organized crime and gangs.”

In the first five months of 2013, the Canada Border Services Agency seized 61 firearms in the Pacific region, 42 of which were prohibited or restricted in Canada.

“The CBSA places a high priority on the detection and interdiction of undeclared firearms and prohibited weapons, and plays an important role in the identification and seizure of weapons at designated ports of entry,” CBSA communications adviser Faith St. John said Monday.

Walker, who travelled to the U.S. with two women, claimed to border guards that he was carrying $2,000 so he could put a down payment on a vehicle.

But the criminal complaint said Walker’s first stop was Dave’s Sporting Goods in Lynden, Wash.

“An agent inside the store watched the defendant look at handguns in a glass case and then leave the store,” the court documents said.

Walker then allegedly drove to Cabela’s Wholesale, a large sporting goods store beside the outlet mall in Tulalip, where he “purchased four firearms.”

Walker provided a Washington State driver’s licence, claiming he lived in Enumclaw, as well as a concealed-pistol licence for the same address, the complaint said.

“Agents continued surveillance of the defendant as he drove to a parking lot and discarded the boxes for firearms in a trash receptacle,” the complaint said. “Agents watched as the defendant then appeared to store the firearms in a location within or underneath the front dashboard of his vehicle.”

Before July 23, U.S. agents had documented three other recent trips Walker made to the U.S. to purchase firearms.

On June 15, 2013, he spent less than three hours south of the border and bought two handguns at FFL Miracle Inc. in Bellingham: a Cobra .380 handgun and an Intratec 9-mm handgun.

On June 27, he returned to the same store and bought four more guns before returning to B.C.: a Springfield Armory .45 calibre handgun, two Keltec 9-mm handguns and a Taurus .45 calibre.

On July 17, he also did his gun shopping at Cabela’s, picking up a 9-mm Beretta, a Smith and Wesson .40 calibre and two Taurus .380 calibre handguns.

U.S. Homeland Securities Investigations Special Agent Jesse Miller said in the complaint that Walker, who has no criminal record in B.C., agreed to answer questions after his arrest.

“The defendant admitted that he sold the firearms within a few days upon returning to Canada to sell at a profit,” said Miller.

“The majority of the handguns purchased by the defendant in the United States are illegal to possess in Canada … Consequently, the majority of handguns purchased by the defendant would be targeted for sale to individuals involved in criminal activity.”

Walker has been remanded in custody until his next appearance, on Wednesday. The U.S. Attorney is seeking his detention pending trial.

Houghton said U.S. officials were in touch with CFSEU about their Walker investigation.

“They let us know. We looked into it and there is nothing in Canada on him,” he said.

Source: Canada Border Services Agency. Note that seizures for calendar year 2012 and 2013 may vary due to the appeal process. 2013 accounts for Jan. 1 to April 30, 2013, with data current as of May 15.